Beauty & the Beast: A Modern Tale of Frankenstein
by yuARELoveD
Summary: I'm writing this as a senior year English project but I decided to post it. The challenge was to recreate the "Frankenstein" story in modern times. R&R, thanks! Rating changed to T due to minor violence
1. Episode One: Creation

A/N: Hello! When our teacher gave us a challenge to write a modern version of Frankenstein for our senior year English project, I thought it was a great idea.

I got carried away with it, lol. We're only supposed to be using one particular scene, but... uh... I'm rewriting the entire novel. *cough, cough*

Well, I don't have spell check and it was too long to run through one on hotmail or google, so there may be some very minor mistakes. (Sorry)

Anyways, enjoy!  
**R**ead & **R**eview, thanks!

-yuARELoveD

**[Episode One: Creation]**

I have theory that cannot be confirmed unless certain measures/actions are taken to (prove) them true. Therefore, I have begun to collect the necessary materials- but only the best can do. So far, I have found an adequate corpse. I will have to replace many of the parts, but the overall structure will do.

**Three Months Later**

I have found a beautiful pair of hands and feet but no suitable arms or legs. Not too long ago, a girl was found in her room, hanging from the ceiling fan: suicide. Luckily, I was accepted into the Eastern Europa Coroner Division. I applied, hoping that this may have shortened my hunt, and so far, it seems to be working. I arrived on the scenes, alone, to discover that the girl had a near-perfect neck and back... Although they were marked with a tattoo. Some sort of bird. A phoenix, perhaps. She also had gorgeous hair: long, silky black hair. I gathered the hands, feets, neck, back and hair. I still have to find the arms and legs, not to mention the facial features as well.

**Two Weeks Later**

My collection is now complete. After what seemed like an endless amount of work, a model was found. In pieces. It seems that some of the other girls had become quite jealous of her achievements and sought out to rid themselves of their rival. Rather, quite literally. She had slender arms and legs, just what I was looking for. I found the facial components on various corpses. The eyes were from an unlisted donor, but they were big, round, ice blue eyes: a nice touch to everything. The nose was fine as is. When I first began, I didn't think it looked nice, but it seems to balance out with the rest of the face. With the cheeks and the lips, I have injected a small amount of fat to them, not to mention some color as well. The color came out fine in her cheeks, but in her lips, it now seems as if she is permanently wearing a bright red shade of lip stick. Oh well, I supposed it'll just cut down on later costs.

All that is left is the assembly and reanimation.

**Four Weeks Later... and some days.**

You have got to be kidding me! I wish I had taken some sort of sewing or embroidery class prior to the start of this entire project. The process is more time consuming and stressful than I could have possibly imagined. I have barely managed to sew on the hands and feet to their appropriate limbs.

(_Sighs_) Whatever happened to those elves? Did they get kidnapped or do they only make shoes?

**Two Months Later**

I think I can sew an entire quilt in three weeks now. Not that anyone really does that sort of stuff anymore. Finally, I can begin my actually research: reanimation. Some scientist, nearly 250 years ago, had this crazy thought that they could "bring back the dead" by charging a surge of electricity through the body, quite literally shocking them. Bah! Now, we know that DNA takes a huge part in this and simply, well, electricuting them won't reanimate. So... What to do?

Overall, she is beautiful and I must say, she was truly worth going through all that trouble. The total height was come to somewhere fron 5' 7" to 5' 11" and she is slender. Her weight cannot be determined until much later and finding that out right now would be quite useless. Her hair, is gorgeous and flowing. The general complexion is in perfect harmony with the rest of the body. She also has long fingers: another plus. There are dozens of stitches that hold the face together, but once she comes alive, I assume they will heal.

**Two Hours Later**

I have come up with a number of theories. First, I will have to find something that will reanimate the organs. Second, I have to reincorperate the DNA with whichever process I chose. Third, there is chance that more steps will have to be taken, and those will have to be accounted for.

**Seven Hours Later**

BLOOD. Blood pumps through our bodies... but... How to recreate it? Blood creates a surge that charges through our body... A surge?! Hmm... Perhaps electricity _does_ play a role in reanimation...

**A Week Later**

Brilliant! I have come up with a jelly-like substance: not quite liquid nor solid. It also can't be considered a plasma either. I'd have to say that it was a very thick liquid. Almost like liquid Jello. Ah, I remember those good old days. Anyhow, I plan on using this to fill the heart, veins and arteries- artificial blood. I have combined a specific DNA sequence with this mixture. If only this works...

**Thirty Minutes Later**

Of course! How would the blood course through the body might the heart not pump? I have to find way to make the organs work. I have drained the body of its fluids. Time to return to the lab, once more.

**Seventy-Two Hours Later**

I have seemed to have forgotten what I once mentioned earlier- about the need for electricity in the body...

**One Hour Later**

It was this simple, yet I couldn't figure this out sooner...! I soon discovered that the "blood" I created is a very good electrical conductor. However, there was an interesting aspect to this entire situation: when electricity charged through this jelly, the product turned bright blue. It is not that important. What is important is _how _to maintain that charge. Especially once it is in the body... After all, I can't have my creation walking around with a car battery attached to its hip, can I?

**Twelve Hours Later**

There is a solution to every problem. I first began by pouring a small amount of the jelly into a vial. I then took some metal rods and charged it, directly in the bottle. It worked. The current remained circulating in the vial long after the actual source was removed. The blue color, which, without the current, would have otherwise been colorless, has stayed. In fact, you could occasionally see the sparks and charge course through the bottle in yellow, wave-like movements. Now, for the actual application!

**Fourty-five Minutes Later**

Okay, so it worked! Not really. Once the body was filled with this "blood," the organs began to function once again. First, it began with the heart. As the heart pumped this throughout the body, I noticed that all the other organs began to work as well, including the lungs. However, the EEG clearly reports that no brain activity has started. I will wait.

**Six Months Later**

Okay, I just can't sit here and wait FOREVER!! Not a _single _brain wave since I have got the organs to function, and that was _half a __**year**__ ago_. I must have done something wrong. The DNA has taken over the host body... The heart pumps and each of the organs function, properly, yet the creation is still inanimate and no brain response has been recorded. Why?

**Four Days Later**

There is a theory that what takes life, can give it back. Will this really work? *Laughs* Hah! Am I undoing what Romeo has once done?

**Ten Minutes Later**

I have created a near-perfect poison, but I cannot reveal the details for I don't know what might happen if I release the "recipe" out into the world. Thousands, if not millions, of people can die, might this be used with evil intentions. I have thought it over and decided several things. First, it must be taken orally, so I will have to pour the concoction down the throat myself. Second, I believe the poison itself will not do and that some electricity will also have to be used here. However, as I have already tried, this poison does not conduct electricity... at all. I think I'll dilute some of the solution I used for the blood and mix the two together to see what just might happen. It should conduct electricity then, and hopefully, that will simulate the brain.

**One Minute Later**

I find myself lacking the courage to go out with this. What if something goes wrong?

**Ten Hours Later**

After much thought, I finally dumped the contents down the throat and immediately, there was a reaction. The eyelids, which had been open, closed, and flew open again. There were intense waves on the EEG, signifying _intense _pain. Oops. I really didn't plan on that, but... umm...yeahhh. However, after that, the eyes remained shut and there were no other physical symptoms or sudden... disturbances. I will have to constantly keep a record of any changes or progress.

**Eight Months Later**

This is bad. Not only am I losing sleep over this "experiment," may I call it, my health is drastically failing. I have lost nearly 40% of my entire body weight, am constantly overwhelmed with dizziness and fatigue, and all my sense have seemed to have dulled down. I am constantly being struck with minor, but many, illnesses. That is not all: my creation is also failing as well. Not that we are connected or anything of that sort, however, things are not going as I may have expected them to. The cells are not regenerating themselves and my only thought is because the blood isn't real, therefore, not behaving the same way as real blood. Because of this, the stitches (and the gaps between them) are in place, all over her body. However, they are most noticeable in the face. Another note of "damage:" the skin cells are beginning to die. Parts, and entire sections of her arms and back are coming off and there is nothing I am do to stop them. Once, I peered into her eyes and found that they were still blue, but now cold and dull.

Her entire body is cold to the touch, especially her hands and feet. In fact, her entire body has this strange blueish hue to it, just the same as the "blood." I believe my artificial blood has "merged"

with the remaining cells, resulting in some sort of... mutation.

It is strange... Her entire face and neck are more of a floury white than blue. Yet, the color in the cheeks remain, just not as red as before. Rather, more of a pale pink sort of color.

Nothing went as planned. She's nothing like I imagined her to be. Rather than being beautiful, she is hideous- to the point where she scares me. She isn't even actually _alive_. What am I going to do with her??

**Three Days Later**

It was early morning when I heard the floorboards creaking. _I _sleep on a hammock, so it's not possible that I might have caused it. My eyes fluttered open just in time to see a shadow flicker across the wall. I looked up and I couldn't believe my eyes. There stood my creature, leaning over my still body, as if she were observing me. I dared not to move. Her hand reached for my throat but didn't get very far- she was still attached to the vital monitors and a saline drip.

Distracted, she let out what sounded like a groan (though, I must say, it sounded more like a roar) and furiously tried to free herself from all that equiptment. This was my chance, and I took it, sprinting off to, oh, who knows where. I spotted a window in the upstairs room. Praying to God, I jumped out the window and slammed it shut behind me.

Once I got to a safe distance, I hid behind a tree and watched my creature move through the various rooms. She had finally freed herself from all those wires and stared angrily out the window I just flew out of. Her hand barely grazed the window when it shattered into a million pieces. I stared at this entire situation in awe and completely shocked. I noticed that when her fingers touched the glass, bright yellow sparks emitted from the tips. I'm assuming those sparks were electrical, or somewhat related to that concept.

Sunlight poured into the room from what was now a literal "hole in the wall." Her eyes, being not quite adjusted to the light, clamped shut and she ran out of my view, howling.


	2. Episode Two: To Live Once More

A/N: Hah, a bit of a surprise, no? Yeah, well, I couldn't imagine the monster being male, not in the time setting that I placed them in. The time setting's a little bit between our current time (2009) and the not-so-distant future.

[Episode Two]

I don't know whether to be relieved or worried. I am relieved because my life has been spared, but I am worried for she is now "set free" out into our vast world... to improve or destroy it as she may wish. I feel as though I now understand how parents feel when their children leave the home.

Then, the thought of it all suddenly stuck me: she was probably going to come back. Back... for me. With that, I started running again.

Memories of my childhood flashed by in my head as the buildings flashed by my eyes. My parents were Alphonse and Caroline. My father was an honorable man, whose closest friend was a merchant by the name of Beaufort. Bad luck fell upon his soul and he soon fell into poverty. Taking a huge hit to his pride, he then took his daughter and moved to a small town where he lived, isolated from those he once knew. When my father found him again, he was already dead and his daughter, Caroline, was found weeping at his coffin. Two years later, my father and Caroline were married.

I was their first son, but not their last. My mother, who desparately wanted a daughter, set out to help the poor when I was five years old. During one of these outings, my mother found a girl who was absolutely glowing- Elizabeth. Mother brought her home, as a gift for me, and I soon became attached by her. Seven years after my birth, William was born. Not to long after William, Ernest followed as well.

I attended school, thus, meeting Henry Clerval, my soon to be only friend. Henry, being well-mannered, occupied himself with virtues, morals, and romance. Thus, he was kind, thoughtful and generous.

When I was thirteen years old, I came across the works of Cornelious Agrippa. Thrilled about my discovery, I immediately ran to my father but he brushed it away, declaring it, "useless waste." Even so, I continued on to read the books of Paracelus and Albert Magnus as well. I was fifteen when we saw a violent thunderstorm. Being curious as I always had been, I stood at the door, watching the storm rapidly approaching from the nearby mountains. All of a sudden, the tree that grew beside the house burst into flames and when the light faded, there was nothing left but the stump. The next morning, I walked outsideto find ribbons, not splinters of wood, splayed all over the lawn. I never saw anything so destroyed, especially at that speed. With this, I poured myself over the studies of mathematics and the sciences.

When I was seventeen, it was decided that I attend New York University, better known as NYU, to make sure I understand the customs of a region other than my own. However, not long after my date of departure was set, Elizabeth became ill with tuberculosis. Due to the degree of severity and its rate of contagiousness, she was not accepted into any of the near by hospitals and Mother was told to refrain herself from going anywhere near her. Mother couldn't let her die and crossed the contamination line to take care of her. Elizabeth soon became well once again but it cost us Mother's life. On her death bed, Mother expressed her final wishes: for Elizabeth to take her place in the household as a caretaker and for our union through marriage.

I was still to depart as scheduled, and Henry asked his father if he could join me as a fellow student, but he refused and believed his son, through his "idle aspirations," would be brought to ruin. I left, and since then, had very little contact with those I had left behind- I was too absorbed in my studies.

I thought about Henry... What could he be possibly be doing right now?

I ran and ran until I could run no more. I finally stopped, to try and catch my breath. I hunched over, with my hands on my knees, when a taxi nearly ran me over. The driver, cursing, stopped in the nick of time. He got out, screaming. "Are you out of your mind?! This is New York City, god dammit! Do you want to be killed?" The passenger, who had been trying to listen in on the conversation, finally got out of the the car as well. "Victor, is that you? Why, you look absolutely terrible!"

Oh my word... Speak, no, think, of the devil. It was my good friend, Henry Clerval.

We embraced, and temporarily forgetting my troubles, headed for my residence. On our way, we had so much to tell each other. Henry explained how after much pursuasion, his father finally gave in and allowed him to attend NYU. His face immediately brightened when he spoke of these events and one could tell that this brought him great joy.

We soon reached my apartment and my heart stopped. During the mist of our happiness, I had completely forgotten about the creature I had left behind and the terrors associated with it. There was an awkward moment of silence as I fumbled with the lock. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Henry was staring at the broken window and its shattered reminants below.


	3. Episode Three: Homecoming

Episode Three: Homecoming

I finally opened the door and let Henry in. "Have a seat," I told him. "And if you want, I have tea and some pastries on the counter."

He politely declined. Ah, Henry, still the same as ever.

I checked my email- nothing. Henry, who had been sitting there, watching my actions, reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.

"Ah, right. Here it is." He handed it to me, and I took it from him, puzzled. "It's for you. From Elizabeth. When she heard I was going to be attending NYU, she gave this to me, just in case we came across each other."

I grabbed the letter opener and hastily tore it open. "Their internet was down when I left. I suppose it's probably up now, if not soon."

My dear cousin Victor,

I know you have been sick, but even the letters that Henry write to me don't seem to rest my heart at all. You can't write, nor hold a pen but you have to- in order to keep the people you have left behind from insanity. Your father has often considered going to visit you but I stopped him each time- a journey that far would set his health in grave danger. Even though I stop your father, I regret not being able to go to you myself! I can only imagine that you are in the care of some old nurse, who can never guess your wishes nor attend to them with the care and affection as I once did. But that is all over for Henry tells me you are getting much better and I impatiently hope that you will confirm this news in your own writing.

Get well- and return to us. In your return, you will find a happy and cheerful home of family and friends. Your father is healthy, and he asks to see you, to be assured that you are doing well; and nothing will ever stop him from his constant worries about you. I can't wait until you see the changes in Ernest! He's now sixteen and full of commotion and character. He wants to be a true American and enlist into the army, but we can't do such thing, at least, not until his older brother comes home. My uncle isn't thrilled with the idea of a military career, but Ernest isn't the same as you were when you were once his age. He thinks of study as a horrible restriction; his free time is spent out in the open, climbing the hills or rowing on the lake. I am worried that he will become a "nothing" unless we give in and allow him to enter the military.

Since you left our side, not much has changed, other than the fact that the children have now grown quite a bit. The clear blue lake and snowy mountains never change and I think our peaceful home and hearts are regulated by the same laws. My petty activities take up my time and keep me amused, and I am rewarded by seeing those joyful faces around me. Only one significant change has taken place in our household. Do you remember why Justine Moritz entered our family? You probably don't and so I'll tell you a little about her history. Her mother was Madame Moritz, a widow with four children, and Justine was the third. The girl was always her father's favorite, but her mother couldn't stand the sight of her, and after the death of M. Moritz, abused her. My aunt saw this, and when Justine was twelve years old, prevailed on persuading her mother to allow to her to live at our house. A servant today does not mean the same thing as it did many years ago as Justine, who had now entered our family, learned the duties of a servant, which, in our country, doesn't include the ideas of ignorance and the sacrifice of a human being.

Justine, if you might remember, was one of your favorites, and, if I remember correctly, you once told me that if you were in a bad mood, one look from her could melt it all away. Caroline became greatly attached to her, and she soon became tempted to give her an education superior than her intentions. This assistance was fully repaid; Justine was the most grateful little thing I had ever seen. I'm not saying that your mother taught her to the point where she went out and became a nurse or such, but even though I never heard one word pass her lips, you could see by her eyes that she adored her dearly. Although she was happy and somewhat inconsiderate, she paid the greatest attention to every gesture of my aunt. She worked so hard to imitate her that she now often reminds me of Caroline herself.

When my dearest aunt Caroline died, everyone was too occupied in their own grief to notice poor Justine, who had been there throughout the course of her illness. Poor Justine was very ill, but it seems that the heavens still had other tests in mind.

One by one, her brothers and sisters died, and her mother, with the exception the neglected daughter, Justine, was left childless. She became troubled and began to think her children's deaths were a judgment from heaven to punish her prejudice. She was a Roman Catholic, and I think her confessor confirmed the idea as well. As a result, a few months after your departure, Justine was called to return home. Oh, the poor girl! She wailed when she left our house- she changed since her protector's death. Grief changed her from a lively girl to a meek, quiet one. The fact that she would now be living at her mother's house wasn't going to restore her happiness. The poor woman was wavering in her remorse. Sometimes, she would beg Justine to forgive her cruelty but much often, accused her of having something to do with her brothers and sister's deaths. The never ending worry made Madame Moritz sick, which, at first, increased her touchiness, but now, she is at peace. She died on the first approach of cold weather, at the beginning of this last winter. Justine came back to our home, and I promise you, I love her affectionately. She is very intelligent, compassionate and beautiful. As I mentioned before, her bearing and her expressions continually remind me of my dear aunt.

Oh, I almost forgot about William. I wish you could see him, Victor. He's very tall for his age, with sweet blue eyes, dark eyelashes, and curling hair. When he smiles, two little dimples appear on each rosy cheek. He has already had one or two little "wifeys", but Louise Biron is his favorite, a pretty five year old girl.

Well, I imagine you would want to know about all the gossip that's been going around, no? Haha, well, the pretty Miss Mansfield has already received congratulatory visits on her approaching marriage with a young Englishman, John Melbourne. Her repulsive sister, Manon, married M. Duvillard, the rich banker, last autumn. Your favorite schoolfellow, Louis Manoir, has suffered several misfortunes since Henry left Sherrill, but he has already recovered and has been reported to be on the brink of marrying a very pretty Frenchwoman, Madame Tavernier. I must admit, she is a widow, and is much older than Manoir, but she is very much admired and a favorite with everybody.

I have written myself into better spirits, dear cousin; but my anxiety returns upon me as I conclude. Write, dearest Victor-one line- one word would be a blessing to us. Ten thousand thanks to Henry for his kindness, his affection, and his many letters; we are sincerely grateful. Adieu! My cousin, take acre of yourself, and, I entreat you, write!

Elizabeth Lavenza

It was nice to hear from her and I immediately wrote back, only to feel terribly exhausted afterwards. I fell asleep, only to wake up three days later. Soon, I felt much better- enough to leave the house once again. From our encounter at Hyde Park, Henry has stayed with me since. One of the first things we did was to go around and introduce him to my professors: M. Krempe and M. Waldman. Waldman taught chemistry, and in him, I found a true friend. Krempe was very much less personal, but a spectacular natural philosophy professor. Throughout all of this, Henry noticed that I had a particular reaction whenever the matter of science came up—especially the lab. Therefore, he threw out the things in the lab and proceeded to make it his room, while persuading me to take a language class with him.

Spring came around, and as Henry and I came home one day, I found an email from my father.'

My dear Victor,

You must have been impatiently waiting for a letter telling you when to come home, and at first, I was tempted to write only a few lines, simply stating the date on which I should expect you. However, that would be a cruel kindness, and I would not dare myself to do such thing. What sort of surprise might it be, my son, when you have expected a happy welcome but to behold, tears and wretchedness? And how, Victor, can I speak about our misfortune? Absence cannot have made you insensitive to our joys and grieves, and how shall I inflict pain on my long-absent son? I want to prepare you for the unhappy news, but I know it is not possible. Even now, I cannot imagine what is going through your mind as you skim over the page to seek the words that pass on to you the horrible news.

William is dead! That sweet child, whose smiles delighted and warmed my heart- Victor, he is murdered!

I am not going to attempt to cheer you up, but I will tell you the story of how this entire incident occurred.

Last Thursday, (May 7th) I, my niece, and your two brothers went for a walk. It was a warm and serene evening, and we walked on a bit farther than usual. Soon, it was twilight and we thought of returning, when we realized that William and Ernest, who had gone on before, were nowhere in sight. We took a brief rest and waited for their return. Right then, Ernest came and asked if we had seen his brother. He said they had been playing, that William had run away to hide and though he sought for him in vain, and waited for him a long time afterwards, he did not return.

This startled us, and we continued to search for him until night fell, when Elizabeth suggested that he might have gone back home. He was not there. We came back, this time, with torches. I couldn't rest with the thought that my sweet boy had gotten lost somewhere out in the New York wilderness and was exposed to all the dangers and horrors of the night. Elizabeth, too, suffered. About five in the morning, we found him, my lovely boy, whom, the night before, I had seen thriving and lively in health, stretched on the grass livid and motionless, with the print of the murder's finger on his neck.

He was brought home, and the agony that in my expressions betrayed my will and revealed the truth to Elizabeth. She desperately wanted to see the corpse. At first, I tried to stop her, but she insisted, and upon entering the room where it lay, hastily examined the neck and exclaimed, "Oh, God! I have murdered my darling child!"

She fainted and it took us a while to bring her back but when she did, all she did was moan and sigh. She told me that William had pestered her about letting him wear the necklace of your mother. It is gone and without a doubt, it was most likely what brought him to do such horrible deed. We have no evidence or trace of a possible suspect at the moment, but we will not stop here. However, they will not restore my beloved William…

Come home. Only you can comfort Elizabeth. She continues to weep and accuses herself of his death and her words pierce my heart. We are all unhappy, but will not that be an additional motive for you, my son, to return and be our comforter? Oh, your mother! I can finally say, thank God she didn't live long enough to witness the cruel death of her youngest!

Come, Victor. Don't bother to think of vengeance against the assassin, but come home with feelings of peace and gentleness that will heal our wounds. Enter with kindness and affection for those whole love you, and not with hatred for your enemies.

Your affectionate and afflicted father,

Alphonse Frankenstein

With this, I began to sob violently and Henry became rather alarmed. "Victor, what's the matter?" Without even lifting my head, I handed the letter over to him. After several minutes, he, too, had the same reaction.

"Victor, what are you going to do?"

I grabbed several tissues and blew my nose. "I have to go to Sherrill, back home, as soon as possible. Henry, come with me."

We set off to board the earliest flight possible, which turned out to be at 2:47 AM. Exhausted with grief, my companion soon fell into a deep slumber. I, however, could find myself unable to close my eyes. The flight didn't take long, merely an hour, but felt agonizingly slow. I kept thinking about poor William, my father, and dearest Elizabeth. As we drew closer to home, although it was still dark out, the beauty of this place was still illuminated by the stars and sky. Everything was still as I once remembered it, but this entire situation seemed to make thing feel like it was my first time passing through. The plane landed, and though it was now sunrise, the entire city was dark. Rain poured down from the heavens, lightening flashed and thunder rang in our ears. A storm hung not only over our city, several of the neighboring cities, towns, and villages as well.

When I arrived at my brother's plot, the funeral was already over and his coffin was cover with a dark cloth. Inspired by the noble war in the sky, and not in the right state of mind, I cried out, "William, dear angel! This is thy funeral, thy dirge!" Just then a flash of lightening revealed a figure standing behind the trees. At first, I doubted myself, thinking that this was not possible, but I knew. I recognized my monster immediately- it's height, the awkward posture and its hideous deformity.

Why was she here? Did she have something to do with my brother's death? As soon as the mere thought of it crossed my mind, I was convinced it was the truth. This revelation struck me, and I fell upon dear William's coffin. The figure ran past me, and I soon lost sight of it in the darkness. Lightening flashed once more, and I spotted its fleeing shadow headed for the forest.


	4. Ep 4: To Kill Two Birds with One Stone

**Episode Four: Two Kill Two Birds with One Stone/Condemned**

When I finally arrived, I found the house dimly lit and the door unlocked. _Huh, no welcoming party? Of course, at a time like this, how could I be thinking of such thing? _I entered, and the house was all silent but for a few murmurs and soft cries that could be heard coming from the dining room. I hurried over to see my family- Elizabeth, Father and Ernest- or what was left of it, sitting at the seven person dining table. When she saw me, she immediately wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up.

"Oh, Victor," she said. "I'm sorry your homecoming couldn't be any happier."

I embraced her, as to try and protect my dearly beloved, and she clung onto me. "I'm sorry about William, El." Both her and Ernest's eyes became misty. Father simply stared out the window.

I looked around the room, puzzled. "Ernest, Father- where is Justine?"

Father let out a long sigh. "Do you remember how I told you in the letter that William had been wearing a locket? The one with your mother's picture on it? You know how it was, well, stolen? At the time of his death?" I nodded. "Not too long after we found William's… corpse, the police found Justine, asleep in a neighbor's barn, not too far away from the original crime scene itself, with the locket in the pocket of her apron."

"What?! What does that mean?"

Ernest spoke up. "It means that Justine is the prime suspect in William's murder. The police have taken the fact that she had the locket in her pocket and arrested her, on the spot."

I let go of Elizabeth. "And what, they're going to use the locket as evidence? What are they saying the motive was? Even so, Justine could, and never _would_, murder anyone!"

Elizabeth began to cry again. "That's what I tried to tell them! But… but they claim she killed William because he was refusing to give her the locket. Something about 'She could sell it at a pawn shop or something like that for quite a bit.' Something about using that money to… oh, I forgot what they said!" She sat back down. "You know what else they said? They said they didn't doubt her ability to kill the child- she was obviously much bigger than she was. And even if he might have been stronger, she 'might have' had a strong rush of adrenaline and had the better advantage."

Father looked away. "We would have given her the locket, or money, for that matter, if she simply asked for it," he muttered.

"Did anyone tell them that?"

"Victor, we tried! But they wouldn't hear anything about it. Instead, if we wish to say anything, we're to show up to her hearing."

"Her hearing?" Something about this seemed strange. "Has the date been set yet?"

"It's at sunrise. Only two hours from now." With that, she began to sob.

My heart sank. No court date had ever been set that quickly. And never mind how fast the date was- the time made everything worse as well! Sure, this city, in fact, the county itself, is pretty quiet and nothing really big happens around here, so a murder with a possible suspect and 'suspected evidence' would be interesting for the people. This was serious business- Justine is going to have a hard time getting out of this.

* * * * *

My father and the rest of the family were obliged to attend as witnesses to the event, and I accompanied them. Even at seven in the morning, the courthouse was packed with people from the various neighboring cities. _I knew people were going to be stirred up about this, but who knew there would be __**this**__ many people? _Aside from the crowd, everything else seemed say that this was a standard hearing. There was a court reporter, the judge himself, two lawyers (the District Attorney and a defensive lawyer), twelve angry jurors, a sheriff, and Justine, sitting in the witness stand.

The gavel came down. "Court is now in session. Prosecution, your opening statement?"

The D.A. was a lanky Caucasian male in his mid-forties with dark, but peppered hair. He cleared his throat and the trial began. "On Thursday, the evening of May 7th, William Frankenstein was found strangled in a nearby park after he had gone missing from a walk with his family in a nearby park. Justine, as you may have heard, Justine Moritz did not accompany them. Instead, when the family came back in their search of William, she went off on her own, only to be found sleeping in a pile of hay with the locket that had been around William's neck only moments before in her apron pocket. For years, she has claimed to be a 'sweet' and 'helpful' servant to the Frankenstein household, only to be awaiting her chance to do something as treacherous as this. She must be put away, if not killed, for her actions."

"Thank you. Council?"

The defense attorney stood up. "Thank you, your Honor." She was a Hispanic female who had probably just graduated from law school only a few years ago. However, she looked sharp with an A-line bob, white blouse and a granite pencil skirt topped with stilettos. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, for years, Justine Moritz has served in the Frankenstein household without a single word of complaint, but with an immense gratitude towards the woman who not only rescued her from her abusive mother, but educated her as well. When Caroline Beaufort died, Justine was there for the family of her protector and their every need. How are we repaying her for her deeds? We, the people, have accused her of not only murdering Caroline's youngest son, but stealing from her as well. Is this how we should pay back those who have done us good? Is there no justice in this world?"

The judge rolled his eyes. "Thank you. Prosecution, please begin."

"Your Honor, the people of Sherrill would like to call forth Jenna Brois, to the stand." As Jenna was being sworn in, I studied her carefully and concluded that she seemed to be the type who would most likely be in a mid-life crisis.

The prosecution began. "Please state your name, age, and current occupation."

She looked towards the jury and projected her voice a bit too loudly. "My name is Jenna Brois, I am 33 years old and I don't work. I'm a stay at home mother." The DA seemed peeved. I can only assume that it was her first time in court and she was pretty nervous about it.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"Well, I didn't hear anything about anyone's son going missing or such, I'm too busy to stop and listen to gossip, you know? Well, I was at the market, buying some fresh eggs and milk to make for little Tommy and Sally's breakfast when I saw a lady."

"Did you know who she was?"

"No."

"Do you know her name?"

"No."

He paced back and forth with each question. "Can you please point her out so that the jury may understand whom you are speaking about?"

"Of course." Her small hand pointed towards Justine. "It was her."

He nodded. "Thank you. Please, go on."

"Anyways, I noticed her because she looked rather… confused. She was just _there_, not headed towards any place in particular. She didn't have a basket in her hand, so she couldn't have been there for the groceries."

The DA stopped to look up at her. "Then what happened?"

"I went over to her and asked what she was doing there. She didn't answer me at first, and when she did, I couldn't understand what she said. "

"Alright, that's fine. Now, where is this marketplace located?"

"It's in the center of Meadows Park." The crowd gasped but quieted down immediately. Meadows Park was the sister park to Olive Park, where my father, brothers and Elizabeth had been.

He backed away from the stand. "Thank you. No further questions, your Honor." The defensive attorney stood up simply to say, "I have no questions for this witness," and sat back down.

"Next witness."

"You Honor, the state of New York calls Edna Greenstone to the stand." Edna stood up and feebly walked on over to the stand. She was sworn in, but I tell you, she looked as if she were about to break into a million pieces any minute.

"What is your name?"

After much wheezing and coughing, the witness produced a response. "Edna Greenstone"

"What is your current occupation?"

"I am a maid at the Clerval household's orchards."

"What happened on the night of May 7th?"

"Mr. Al Frankenstein came over and asked if we had seen his youngest son, and we hadn't, so I told him so."

"What did you find that night?"

"Nothing."

"Alright, what did you discover the next morning?" He rolled his eyes.

"I found Miss Moritz asleep in the barn, on top of a pile of hay."

"Can you please identify her?"

She pointed out Justine from the front row. The second person to condemn her.

"What did you do?"

"Well, I was about to wake her up but I saw a glint of gold from her pocket, and there it was- the locket that had been around William's neck!"

He pulled out a bag labeled 'Evidence' in big, bold letters. Inside, contained the locket Mother gave to Elizabeth. "Is this the locket that you saw in her pocket that night?"

"Yes."

"No further questions, your Honor."

Finally, the defense attorney stood up. "Do you know how that locket came to be in her pocket?"

Edna looked puzzled. "No, but I can only assume that she…"

She stopped her in the middle of the sentence. "May I then assume that you had the locket and place it in her pocket when you discovered that the family realized that it went missing?"

Enraged, the opposing attorney flew up from his seat. "Objection, your Honor! Speculation."

"Your Honor, I'm simply trying to prove a point."

His 'honor,' sighed. "Overruled. Will the witness please answer the question?"

"N-no! Of course not! You accuse me when she's right there?"

"No further questions, your honor." She sat back down in her seat. I realized that she hadn't moved from her seat, not even one inch, since she began questioning the witness. She stood back up. "Your Honor, I call Alphonse Frankenstein to the stand." _Something's changed…Wait, what?! Doesn't the prosecution go one day, defense the next? Are they planning to finish the entire trial in one day??_

My father, heavy-hearted, trudged up the witness stand. When they were swearing him in, he muttered. She began. "Can you please state your name? Loud and audibly, so that the jury may hear you."

"My name is Alphonse Frankenstein. I was, no, am William Frankenstein's father, along with Victor, Ernest, and Elizabeth as well." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see tears well up in El's eyes.

"Alright, well I'm assuming that the jury is now tired about hearing what happened so why don't we just go right along. How long as Justine been under your family's care?"

"I don't know for certain how long, but I do know that she's been there for us, before Victor's departure. Right, she was there before their mother died because my wife completely devoted herself to educating the girl for the longest time ever."

"It seems that Caroline had quite the attachment to Justine. Has there ever been as past issue with Justine?"

"Besides the fact that she rarely spoke? No."

"Has she ever shown any sort of… strange behavior before?"

"No."

"No further questions, you Honor." The judge looked stunned and seems like he was about to say something, but didn't. "Your witness."

The DA stood up with the legal pad in the crook of his elbow. "You say that Justine 'adored' Caroline. Is it possible that Justine felt _jealous_ that Caroline had given _Elizabeth_ the locket instead? That Justine had been planning this, the entire time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to come along?"

Finally, the defensive stood up and yelled out, "Objection! Council is leading the witness- and badgering him." The judge raised an eyebrow.

"Sustained. Council, please restate the question, one question at a time."

"No need, you Honor. I'm done with this witness." He triumphantly sauntered over to his seat. The defense attorney, however, remained standing. "I would like to call Elizabeth Lavenza to the stand."

Elizabeth stood up and looked back at me. I gave her hand a quick squeeze and that seemed to give her all the confidence she needed. She was solemnly sworn in and, at last, the defense attorney walked out of her chair.

"Your name?"

"Elizabeth Lavenza."

"First things first," She lifted up the evidence bag. "Is this the locket that was stolen from William Frankenstein's corpse, the one that you originally let him borrow?"

Elizabeth's voice faltered. "Yes, it is."

"Well then, that's done with. How is it that you came to live in the house of Frankenstein?"

"Caroline had always wanted a daughter, and when Victor was young, she adopted me from a family. They weren't my birth parents either: my birth mother had passed away and my father couldn't bear the sight of me for I reminded him too much of her. So, like Justine, I was brought into the house."

"Let's keep this simple. Do you have anything you would like to say to this court or jury?"

"Yes, I do. I am the cousin of the child who was murdered, or rather, his sister. Some of you may think it is indecent for me to come forward on such occasion, however, when I see a fellow friend about to be destroyed by the very own people she knows, those 'so-called friends,' I cannot bear to sit still with my mouth closed. I knew Justine very well- we lived in the same household together for many years and helped each other out as time passed. During that time, she seemed to me as one of the kindest and good people I have ever known and when Madame Frankenstein fell ill after nursing me back to health, Justine took care for her and in turn, she suffered from the disease. She was very much attached to the child who was just murdered and in many situations, acted as his very own mother. Through my own judgment, I can stand here and say that I thoroughly believe in her innocence, no matter what other evidence or whoever comes here to stand as a witness against her. She had no temptation whatsoever, and might she have honestly wanted it, I would have gladly given it to her with my own two hands."

The entire courthouse fell silent at these words and both lawyers, and the judge, seemed to be in awe. The defense attorney broke the silence. "No further questions nor witnesses your honor. Council?"

"I have no questions for her," he said softly. I noticed he tore off nearly a third of his legal pad and tossed it into the trash. He stood up. "However, I am not done. The state of New York would like to call Justine Moritz to the stand." _The prosecution can't call the defense to the stand! When was that changed? _The crowd, once again, became noisy as Justine was brought into the courthouse by a sheriff. She was brought in wearing the bright orange jumpsuit and handcuffed. There were tears on her eyes as she walked past Elizabeth, who, in turn, was coming off of the stand. They shared a brief exchange of glances and nods and walked on.

I stared at the defense attorney and she seemed didn't seem bothered by this at all. _Was there a bargain beforehand? Did they make an agreement about bringing her up?_

"Your Honor, council, as we have agreed upon, I will simply allow her to defend herself, nothing else at all." He returned to his seat. "Please, begin."

Even though tears, Justine still managed to give an acknowledgeable speech. "Perhaps, only God knows how entirely I am innocent. But I know that simply giving a speech about how innocent I am won't set me free, especially of the evidence and witnesses that have been set against me. But this is my say and what really happened…"

Justine went on to talk about what had happened since William was discovered to be missing. She had been out at a relative's house, and on her way back home, met a man who asked her if she had seen a boy who was lost. Alarmed, she rushed home to find that William was missing. She spent the entire night searching for him when she became exhausted and soon fell asleep. She kept waking up in the middle of the night, thinking she had seen or heard William, but when she opened her eyes and looked around, no one was there. As to the several claims to the witnesses, and the locket, she could not give account for. Thus, she was taken off the stand.

It seemed everything was wrapped up and the jury could go either way when the DA stood up. "Your honor, the state of New York would like to call an additional witness to the stand, one that wasn't planned to begin with."

Curious, the judge leaned over his stand. "Who is this person, may I ask?"

"The state of New York would like to call William's eldest brother, Victor Frankenstein to the stand." The crowd went into an uproar but hushed as soon as the judge pounded down the gavel. He stared intensely at the lawyer.

"Yes, I understand what I am doing, but also, I will be willing to allow the defense to do a CX. He has been studying at NYU until the recent event of this tragedy brought him here. He is the brother and from what I understand, he knows both what seems to be both sides of the story as well. I also get the feeling that there is something he would like to tell the jury as well, no?"

The judge turned to face me. "Mr. Frankenstein, will you be willing to give your testimony?"

"I… I…." I stammered.

Elizabeth poked me. "Victor, this is your chance! Our chance! Go tell them that she's innocent!" she whispered.

The judge repeated himself. "Mr. Frankenstein?" She nudged me. "Go on!"

I stood up. "I will, your Honor." While I was being sworn in, the court was still buzzing about what had happened. I sat there, fidgeting nervously.

The DA approached the stand. "Mr. Victor Frankenstein, if you may, will you please give us your stand on these events?"

I cleared my throat. "I, well… I was at my residence back in Manhattan, New York, where I attend NYU as an electro-physics major. My good friend, Henry Clerval and I, just came home when I saw the email from my father, Alphonse Frankenstein.

I only have one question. Do you know anything that pertains to your brother's death? Possibly, about who may have 'done it?'

I glanced around the floor, nervously. "No."

"Your Honor, will you please remind the witness that he is under oath and has sworn to 'tell the truth and nothing but the truth?'"

"Mr. Frankenstein…" The judge seemed to be getting annoyed. "You should know better about this."

"I, well, from what I have heard on behalf of Justine and from what I previously know from our past encounters, there is no possible way that the girl may have done it. About whodunit, you ask? I do happen to know exactly who, but I can't explain without sounding…" I took in a deep breath of air. "I plead the fifth."

"You can't plead the fifth. You may only plead the fifth if you are saying something that is incriminating against yourself."

"I know that, and yes, I still plead the fifth."

"Mr. Victor Frankenstein, do you understand that you just made yourself look like _you_ are the new suspect in this case; that Justine did not murder your brother, William Frankenstein, but rather, that _you_ did instead?"

The crowd gasped and the judge banged his gavel down four times before the room became silent once again.

"Victor! Psst, Victor!!" Elizabeth shook me. "Wake up, the trial's over."

"What happened? Did I fall asleep?" So, it was all a dream? My testimony?

"You fell asleep just after Justine took witness stand. Both lawyers have already made their closing statements and the jury went inside for their verdict."

That woke me up. "What's the verdict?"

"I don't know. The jury just came back in right now, at it seems that they've come to a conclusion. You see that guy? In the corner? Do you see the white envelope he's holding?"

"Right. What did she have to say for herself?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I can't believe she would do such thing! I'm starting to believe this entire thing was some sort of set up. It can't be true!" Alarmed, I asked her what was wrong. What could have possibly happened while I was asleep? "She confessed to the murder of William, Victor, she confessed! I know she didn't do it. At first, it seemed that she was giving the normal defensive speech but when she started saying what happened, she kept blinking her eyes and… finally… she just burst it out and told the entire court that she did it! Oh Victor, this can't be…" Elizabeth buried her head into my shoulder and began to sob.

_Justine admitted to the crime she didn't commit? What was going on? First, the trial was all messed up, she has a defensive lawyer who seems half-hearted about this entire thing and now she admits to it? I **know** she didn't do it- the monster I created did._

The entire room fell silent as the one juror handed the envelope to the judge and returned to his seat. Before even opening the envelope, the judge faced the jury. "Have you come to conclusion? Not a single person objected the ruling?" Each member of the jury shook their heads. "Well then, Justine Moritz…" he opened the envelope and scanned over the single page. "You have been found guilty with the first degree murder of William Frankenstein and are sentenced to an execution through lethal injection at noon, later on this day."

Our family fell to their knees, in shock, while the rest of the court cheered in victory.

_What sort of victory is one that is unjust?_

The judge banged his gavel three more times when it fell apart. "SILENCE!" he roared. Everyone immediately sat back down in their seats and looked up meekly. "Anyone who wishes to speak with the condemned one last time before noon may. However, no one is allowed to watch the injection but certain members of the jury, both attorneys and myself. Court is now adjourned."

Without a word, Elizabeth stood up and rushed towards the door where we had last seen Justine being led out of the courthouse. Father and Ernest stood up to follow her, but turned around to face me. I had not moved one inch. "Victor…" Ernest began.

I cut him off before he had anymore to say. "I can't bear to look at her. I'll wait outside, on the benches." He understood and led Father away.

I sat outside, on the wooden benches, as I promised. However, I became restless, standing up one minute and laying down the next. I never took this sort of thing into consideration when I created her, and now, I regretted it deeply. This wretched creation, no, _monster_, of mine, killed two birds with one stone. With one stone that she didn't even lift.

An hour passed, and it was a quarter to noon. I had moved from the benches to the courthouse steps when Elizabeth came. She looked down at me, her eyes full of pity and grief. I sat up and moved next to her.

She looked up at the cloudy skies. "We exchanged only a few words, mostly tears." She sighed. "The first thing I did was ask her why she confessed and really? She didn't know why herself. She told me that they, the lawyers, the villagers, simply EVERYONE, convinced her that she did it and thus, she confessed. She couldn't remember why she was lying there, or if she had been wandering in the market near the park, but if people said they saw her, they must have, right? I told her I didn't believe what they said, not one word of it. Oh, Vic, she's such as sweet child. Even during our last moments, she thanked me for believing her and you know what? She told me to be happy…" Elizabeth began to weep once again. "She told me to be happy, to make others happy and wished that all be well in the house."

The sky rapidly became stormy and began to pour. I took off my coat and covered Elizabeth's hunched over figure. I stood up and descended the stairs. "Victor," Elizabeth cried out after me. "Where are you going?" I couldn't face myself to tell her the truth.

I walked back home, in the rain and storm, alone. I got to the house and found it empty. I quickly took my things, only what I deemed as necessary to survival- a few clothes, another coat, some food- and packed them all in a small luggage back and left Sherrill.

For months, I wandered. I didn't go too far, really. Instead, I stayed pretty close to home. Actually, if I were to say that I was Not knowing where I was going, or why I was wandering, I came to realize that the seasons were quickly changing. Spring ended and surely enough, 'the April showers brought May flowers,' and with June, the sweltering heat and summer came. During summer, I was glad that I hadn't packed much, but as time passed I came to regret it as well. Autumn in New York, along with winter, was chilly.

One early morning, as the snow began to fall, I stopped at a park to light a bonfire I had set up. Just then, I saw the figure of a female, running towards me at a speed I knew no human could possibly achieve: it was my monster. I began to feel faint, but I stayed attentive for there was a wrath burning up inside of me.

She stopped, just across from me, and stared blankly at the firewood. I was too distracted to fully pay attention to her actions, however, within seconds, I found the pit roaring with flame. Astonished my first reaction was that the caveman had discovered fire, at last, but I quickly suppressed those thoughts with contempt.

She sat in the cold snow. "Devil," I exclaimed, "do you dare approach me? And do you not fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your arm? Begone!" I sneered. "Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust! And, oh! That I could, with the extinction of your miserable existence, restore those victims whom you have so diabolically murdered!" I jumped on her, trying to beat her into the snow, but she easily avoided my blows.

"I knew you would be like this," she sighed and laughed half-heartedly. "However, I beg of you, listen to my miserable tale!"

"The only thing is wish to do right now is extinguish that life I bestowed upon the various corpses I sewed together to create that horrid body of yours!" I sprang on her again, but it was no use. She evaded me, once more.

"Be still! Have I not suffered enough, that you wish to only make my misery worse? Life, even though it has only been a collection of tortured memories, I seek to defend it. Remember, you're the one who made me who I am. You built my bones, my height, and my overwhelming strength. Even so, I will not harm thee. After all, I am your creature, and if you do your part, I will submit to your will. I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, who you drove from joy for no particular reason. Everywhere I look, I see bliss in all but myself. _I was benevolent and good, but misery made me a fiend. _Make me happy, and I shall once again be virtuous."

I glared at her spirit. "**Who are you to bargain with me?** I am your creator…"

She cut me off before I could say anymore. "YES! You **are** my creator, thus you have the responsibility for my actions although, I must admit, I did take part."

We were getting absolutely NOWHERE. "Go away! I won't listen to whatever you have to say. Rather, let's try and fight once more, to the point where one shall fall." I charged at her and she fell into the snow, our bodies tossing and tumbling, leaving behind only a flattened body of snow. "Why do you call upon me to remember the day of your origin? Cursed by the day you in which you first saw light! Cursed be the hands that formed you! Leave and free me from your existence!"

She grabbed my shoulders and stopped me from attacking (or at least, attempting to) her any further. "Listen! If you hear my tale, and still believe I have wronged the world in my merely existences, then say it be, and I will cease to exist. The sun has yet to rise and by the time it sinks back into the ground, I will have finished with my tale. Everything rests upon your shoulders: whether I become humane, your mortal enemy or dead."

She let go of me and sat me down in the snow. I believe I could have left, but I sat there, and listened as she began her story…


End file.
